Wireless communications and global positioning technology are used in vehicles with increasing regularity. Both have become commonplace in modern vehicles. As a result, vehicle manufacturers offer an increasing variety of services to vehicle owners and drivers. As an example, GPS technology is a service that helps locate a vehicle and track its location over a period of time. Location and tracking functions can use a telematics device (or telematics unit) integrated with a GPS receiver capable of determining a vehicle position both instantaneously and over a period of time. The telematics device communicates the vehicle position, as well as other data, to a central facility, such as a call center where the call center records the communications. The telematics device receives GPS signals through a first antenna and communicates with the call center through a second antenna. The first and second antennas can be mounted together on the vehicle's exterior and appear as a single element.
Determining and relaying the vehicle's GPS position provides several benefits. For instance, when a vehicle is reported stolen, the call center can begin monitoring the vehicle's position and then report the monitored position to law enforcement authorities. But vehicle thieves have become aware of vehicle tracking and can identify vehicles that benefit from this service by spotting the antennas mounted on the vehicle's exterior. As a result, thieves have developed methods to circumvent vehicle tracking. In one example, thieves physically deform or remove the vehicle antennas thereby impeding the telematics device from communicating the vehicle position to the call center.